soulae

Avocado and Strawberries with Honey Vinaigrette

 
INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/16 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 avocados, peeled, pitted, and cut into wedges
8 ounces strawberries, halved

PREPARATION
1. Whisk the lemon juice, honey, olive oil, salt, and pepper together.

2. Arrange the avocados and strawberries on 6 salad plates.

3. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the fruit salad. Serve immediately.

Timesaver: The honey will slip right off the spoon if you first measure the oil.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
(based on individual servings)
Calories: 190
Total Fat: 2 g
Saturated Fat: g
Cholesterol: mg
Sodium: 50 mg
Carbohydrates: 16 g
Fiber: 3 g
Protein: 2 g

via www.thedailygreen.com

Try It! You will love it!

Only in a Woman's World

I just love this cute little series from the people over at Glam.com. They have teamed up with Frito-Lay to bring us the short series that features four ladies going through the trials of living a healthy life. Whenever I need a laugh I go to the site and check out these ladies doing things that we all have done a time or two ourselves.. 

So, here I am sharing my laughs with you! 

The Stiletto Workout

There are times when I just take to the web in search of interesting things that will keep me entertained and also add some sort of value to my life (yes, I just had to find a way to make aimless web surfing sound meaningful). During times like these I find things that sometimes I should not find and sometimes I must share with others. This is a moment when I have made a discovery that I HAVE to share. 

Just a little background first, since I am soon about to graduate from college (for a second time) I decided that I would need to step my stiletto game up since I will more than likely enter the corporate world. I have never been one to wear heels on a daily basis, I can stumble to a function, find a chair and look cute for the evening but running daily errands and wearing them just because has never been my thing. So I went in search of some tutorials on how to walk in heels. After reading a million articles, blog posts and search query results I decided to see if I could find someone on youTube that could teach me what I needed to learn. 

The Stiletto Workout was the final result of my tedious search to walk in heels. It is not a tutorial on walking (or in my case, not falling) in heels, it is an actual workout that can be done while wearing a heel of any size. The purpose of the workout is to build your leg muscles which will enable you to look good and also work the core muscles that support you while looking haute in your pumps. After about a week of daily workout I decided to try my luck and wear heels to the office for an entire day without my backup flats in my bag. I must say that it worked, I made it through the day and even some late afternoon errands and did not trip, fall and embarrass myself in front of some gorgeous hottie (even though my dogs were barkin when I got home and I had to soak my feet for an hour, wink). 

For anyone looking to spice up their work out routine to keep it fresh this is perfect for you. Trust me when I say you will feel the burn! You will also get some kicks out of the fact that you are working out in heels and you may even feel a little crazy, but once you feel the results you will be hooked just like I am. 

So dyvas, get out those heels, crack open that box of new stilettos and WORK-IT! 

The Essential Little Black Dress

My closet is about to be home to one of my best purchases yet. The Marilyn Convertible Dress is a dress for any occasion. I just happened to be browsing the plus sized net and found this dress that could be converted into numerous styles. Imagine having one dress that you can wear to every occasion and still have people saying "Wow". 

With just a little manipulation you can have 20 different dresses only taking up a little hanger space in your closet. Now my only decision is where to get it from, I can get it from this place for $89.99, or I can splurge on Monif C for $195. To me they look exactly the same so I may just take the first route for now, even though I advise you all to check out the other dresses in Monif C's collection, she has some hautness. 

You may be wondering why you even need to own a little black dress? Its simple, diversity. Owning a nice fitting, polished black dress can save you time, money, and closet space. Instead of always having to step out and shop for something new for each church event, business function or glamorous evening you plan to attend you can just spice up this one essential piece with little effort. 

Accessories are the key to making it work. The right shoes, handbag, scarf, broach or jewelry can change the appearance of even the simplest of things to something eye catching. You can use accessories to make your black dress the focal point of your outfit or you can choose accessories that demand all the attention for themselves. Any way you go, you can not go wrong with owning a black dress, even if it is just for the knowledge that black makes every ones curves look good. 

So on your next shopping adventure consider adding a black dress to your closet, you will not regret it. 

The Little Black Dress is Essential!

The Fat Smash Diet: It really does work

Let's get right to the point with this one. Dr. Ian starts you off on theFat Smash Diet with a 9 day detox. The detox allows you to eat all of the fruits and veggies you want. However there are some things that you can not eat such as bread, meat of any kind, soda, nuts, dried fruits and potatoes just to name a few.Dr. Ian also lets you know that in order for this to work you must work out at least 5 days a week for 30 minutes each day, and you must eat 4-5 meals a day. After the nine days of detox your body is supposed to be prepped and ready to take on Stage two which re-introduces your body to healthy foods.

Included in the book are a lot of easy to follow recipes that help to aid you in your quest to loose weight and live healthier. Stage 2 lasts for three weeks and try's to reprogram you so that you will understand the correct ways to eat. You can continue to eat the fruits and veggies allowed during the detox phase, but the good part is you can start eating meat again. The most important thing is to not eat any fried foods and try and follow the meal plans as closely as possible. Once you have successfully completed the three weeks of Stage 2, you can move onto the next stage.

You have reached the next stage and now the Fat Smash Diet allows you to start eating foods that you enjoy; but don't get excited you have not reached the point where you can start eating steaks and fried chicken wings. Dr. Ian suggests that you eat things like whole wheat pasta, egg whites and special K. Making sure to watch what you eat and how much you are eating is important throughout all of the stages of the Fat Smash Diet. Working out is just as important and there are samples within each chapter of the book that will help you add variety to your workouts so that you will not get bored.

If you are planning to do this diet, I would recommend that you also sign up for the 50 Million Pound Challenge. I found that during the final phase it was easier for me to substitute the meals emailed to me daily on my custom meal plan, than to figure it out on my own. Throughout this process both the book and the website were great companions, where one was inconclusive the other filled in the missing pieces. Stage 4 is the final piece within the Fat Smash Diet. Dr. Ian takes the time to re-emphasize the key points mentioned throughout the book:

1. Work out 30 minutes a day, five days per week.
2. Eat 4-5 means a day.
3. Do not over-indulge, even though the foods that you are eating are healthier.
4. If you fall of the wagon, get back up and start from the detox.

We here at soulae highly recommend that you give this diet a try. It gave me the motivation to stick it out. I will say that I have experienced my pitfalls and have had to revisit the detox stage a couple of times but I just re-read the bookand get back on the horse. It is a journey to a healthier, better life. Maintaining the weight loss and being healthy will not happen over night. We are working to reprogram our way of thinking when it comes to food and the place it has in our lives.

"Keep Moving Forward", literally...

Laugh Out Loud - For a Healthy Lifestyle

When we hear, think, read or practice “healthy living”, we often think of eating right, getting enough exercise, and even making sure that we get the recommended hours of sleep, you know, doing all the physical stuff that’s suppose to make us healthy.  But, one thing that is not often talked about is healthy relationships, especially with family.                  

Healthy relationships with family are important, because these are the people that you see the most and have the most contact with throughout your life.  If you don’t have a good relationship with them, then more than likely other relationships will fail too.  This weekend I went to Stockbridge, GA to visit an Aunt who has just purchased a “beautiful” home in that area of Georgia (how she got to this point is a blessing in and of its self). 

It was wonderful to see family that I don’t get to see on a regular basis, talk about old times and just laugh and enjoy their company. We sat around and talked about the things we use to do when we were growing up and the fun we use to have when we all would get together.  I laughed all weekend long.  On our drive back home, I realized that I wasn’t stressed, I was in a good mood and not only me, but everyone who went along on the trip were in a place of peace and tranquility.

This peace and tranquility didn’t come from a bottle or other mood altering substances; it came from laughter and just being around family.  In no way am I implying that we don’t have our share of problems and situations, because Lord in Heaven knows we do, but at the end of a day, after every tear has been shed, the truth spoken and everything has been laid out, we know that we all love each other and would do anything in the world for each other.

I’m blessed to have a family that I can honestly say I love.  I’m thankful because I know people who can’t say this.  I’m blessed to have grown up in a family that has always been close.  When I say family I mean mother, father, sister, brother, aunts, uncles, cousin, etc.   Now you know there’s always one or two in the bunch that try to place a damper on the good times, but when you have enough love flowing, love stops the negativity from taking hold and taking over. 

No matter how much you eat right, exercise, how much rest and relaxation you get, if you don’t strive to have happy relationships, are you really healthy?  The mind and the heart go hand in hand; one can’t work without the other.  So take the time to Laugh Out Loud!